San Diego Descenders Cycling Club

Elfin Forest and Double Peak9 August 2014
by Bernie Bogard

Showing up late to the start because of a garage flat, not sure who was at the start at Pomerado and RB road. By the Valley Pkwy group included Geoff, Voris, Bob R, Keith H, Hodges, LTE, Rick (big), Zach, John M, Larry, Tony O. New route off Valley Pkwy-the right after our usual right then another right on Bernardo which eventually magically came out on Hale, seemed a better option than the usual. Fairly casual through Elfin Forest til the west side hill brought out the climbers. Geoff and Rick were off the front, never to be caught followed by a large group eventually led by Voris sporting a goatee. However he then looked up the hill toward double peak and said "no mas". Murmurs of "wimp" "quitter" were heard among the assembled Descenders. Others carried on, pretty rough pace up the hill by Zach and Larry, no slowing with the turn to Double Peak climb and Zach was off and followed by Larry. Big Rick dug deep on the steeps, Keith powered by me and Tony at the top. A little break, enjoying a spectacular day and the views to match then off down the hill toward RSF, lost Bob and Keith but gained Jeff L. Spirited ride through Rancho, eventually smoothly taken by Larry who also rode away on stud loop though Len who was strong all day, coming off yet another brutal Double Century was around the front. Zach and Larry led us up 3 witches but didn’t catch the entrance to Santa Luz so were gone. The remainder went through Santa Luz for a jaunt with Hodges firing then falling back on the big hill with Tony O finishing it off. Hodges then kept us from going the wrong way down a one way road in front of a Security truck. (somehow surprising to have Hodges be the voice of reason). The remaining group split at CDS and headed home. 63 miles, around 5000 ft climbing for me. Great day.

Ya shoulda been there.

We had about 15 riders on our Pamo-Mussey classic route last Saturday.

Larry and I rode from home and met a group at Springmeadow, including John Moran and Guido. Hodges was already on the course, riding.
We met with the rest of the gang at 7-11. Rick Bienias showed up on Elliptigo and did a few repeats up SPP. The pace up SPP was lead by the other Rick, who broke away with Guido – Larry, Rick B. and myself tried to chase them and only caught them at the very top. It is very nice to draft behind Rick B. on elliptigo, by the way! Proulx and Rick left us soon to do their own workouts.
We regrouped briefly and got to Mussey with rotations and some impressive pulls by our favorite cop, Rick. Strong and frequent.
We kept rotating nicely through Mussey descent, and there were a few brief attacks – the most impressive one by Sheehan, I was barely able to latch on to his wheel as he took the sprint points at the "finish line" before road gets too rough. On the way up Larry and Zach lead us up to the top. Sheehan and Boyle turned back, but we picked up Hodges.

The clouds were gathering and we just kept rotating through along Dye – nobody went for the sprint on Dye Road, we just kept on riding. It was humid and we stopped at the gas station to get some more water – the gas station attendant said flooding was expected in Ramona with a fair amount of rain. This was news to most of us, I stopped checking weather forecasts since moving to San Diego, definitely not expecting rain in August. As we descended down Pamo clouds got even more ominous (and also kind of cool) – the lightning struck nearby right as we were descending! It started drizzling as we climbed Pamo back up to Ramona – it was actually kind of nice, except for the wet roads. On the way back there was actually some battle for riding at the front, as that minimized "splattering" effect of riding behind someone else and literally eating their dirt.

I made a snarky comment to Larry that someone surely will flat with the wet roads, but I never intended to jinx Larry himself – that day he had the most misfortune by suffering multiple flats (N flats where N>1) – let’s just say we finished together but with no tubes or CO2 cartridges left. I don’t think I ever remember Larry flatting before, not even once.

Definitely an epic, memorable day in the saddle, despite a bit of (unexpected) summer rain.

You should have come.

More photos:

https://plus.google.com/photos/109410926478548321411/albums/6043075032416530305?authkey=CIfFhefQgc7oYg

Hi Gang,

We did have a recovery ride planned today. The meeting spot was the 7-11 store. Guido and I met at the corner of Black Mountain and rolled over to Casa Voris out of habit, not expecting to see anyone; we did not. John and Len joined us for the 8 am start and we all agreed a route heading back to the coast was in order. Guido suggested to head north on Espola and make our way toward Elfin Forest, good route. After passing Maderas Golf Course I turned us onto Cloudcroft Drive to tour the neighborhoods around Stoneridge before getting back to Pomerado. We rode over the Hodges pedestrian bridge and then back over I-15 as we made our way towards Harmony Grove.

The recent fires burned lots of the Harmony Grove Road and all the land has been moved with the planning for the future houses, all barely recognizable from last year. Guido took to the front and powered us toward Elfin Forest. The skies to the west looked ominous, dark clouds building and even some sprinkles. I paid the price for being an electronic Luddite and had to turn up Via Ambiente. I wanted to get home by 11 am to watch the Tour de France show on regular television. Guido, Len and John rolled toward San Elijo and presumably the coast; I was heading back via Del Dios and RSF.

The roads were wet on both the ascent and descent of Via Ambiente. Thunder boomed to the west and I was hoping to get back east before any rains arrived. I took it very easy up and down before turning onto Del Dios. I stopped for a water break before climbing Three Witches and made it home just before the start of the show. 50 miles, about 3,800 feet of climbing and no rain.

There was no camera today so no real proof that we did the group ride, except Strava of course. Here are a few photos from our Oceanside & Bonsall adventure from Saturday.

Rob

Descenders, we had a fantastic ride today.
The original plan was to do a coastal ride with a possible inland option to be discussed at a later time.

Larry and I rode from the coast – I think this was the first time we did this together since Monster Climbs. We got to the start at 7:58, and the group seemed to be very small – maybe 2-3 descenders waiting. But soon everyone swarmed in and we went down the bike path in a group of 15.

We had several new riders – Norm, who incidentally (and totally randomly and unintendedly) briefly participated in my Everesting ride this past Tuesday, Herman (who is from Austria – not Germany, it’s almost as bad as confusing someone from Ukraine with someone from Russia – Rob!), youngsters Zach and Tony, as well as many regulars. Mike Farkas showed up and he even wore the Descender jersey – nice! (see photos below for proof).

We also had 3-4 additional riders serendipidously joining us on the coast, including a legendary KC Butler, director of Tour of Poway (Nick Venuto century). How many Descenders are doing it? It’s coming up soon, September 28th!

And now for Public Safety Announcement from your "Mom":
We should really take it real nice and slow on 56 bike path, especially the western portion – it’s narrow and it’s an accident waiting to happen the way we ride it, in large group at 20mph+. Today the speeds reached 28mph on the most dangerous, narrow sections (yes, I did check and strava doesn’t lie!) which is frankly, irresponsible on those paths.
Let’s take it real slow (<15mph), or else go through Carmel Valley Road. Save the power for the climbs or powering on the front along the 101.
It is a bike path and all it takes is a child on a tricycle or someone jogging with a dog on a leash to cause some serious injuries.

We had some animated pulls along the coast, Farkas leading us up Del Mar mini-climb, and Larry doing super-pull on San Elijo – this was really fast as I was doing 400-700W (for those who don’t know much about power – this is A LOT!) just to stay in the draft!
Rick pulled away from us past Encinitas and he was gone. We took it moderate pace all the way to Oceanside, Farkas taking the sprint in the Harbor after long and strong leadout by – who else – Larry.

From Oceanside we split up – about half of the group went back the usual way (coastal, then RSF), while 7 adventurous souls – Larry, Zach, Bernie, Rob, Sheehan, Tony and yours truly, decided to go inland. We rode along the Oceanside bike path, then went over to Sleeping Indian (a steep and beautiful climb), descended down Moro Hills and Olive Hill – fast, fun and scenic descent, and then went back through more "familiar" roads of Camino del Rey and Champaign. It was getting hot! Probably low 90ies (my Garmin said 107F so subtract 15F).

We decided to go back the shortest way, via Escondido (Centre City Pkwy) – now I remember why we don’t ride through there very often.
Riders peeled off one by one as Larry and I did our part of doing another 20 miles of so from Poway to the coast – 110+ miles for Larry and myself with 5K ft of climbing.

You should have come!
Oleg

Alpine Loop Ride Report19 July 2014
by Rob Verfurth

A small group of us rode over from Spring Meadow to meet the rest of the guys at the start. On the way we spotted Claus driving westbound on Pomerado, likely to another family swim meet or other event. He did not ride on Sat but managed to get on another century ride on Sunday morning! Claus is a machine!

At the 7-11 store we had a total of 15 riders: Larry, Rick W, Guido, Geoff, Tony, Bob P, Len, John, Rob, Sheehan, Voris, Ernst, Cresap, Bill Wood and a new rider, Norm. Bill was back in country from Australia working on his Escondido home. Norm rides some with Cyclo-Vets and heard of us through our web site. Cresap was just getting back into riding after a few physical set-backs so he planned to head up towards Mount Woodson after the SPP climb.

Voris changed the route from Oceanside Coastal to Alpine since the planned weather was to be cooler for the morning. Looked like a good day to be out riding. We all climbed SPP and descended down 67 to the turn toward Lakeside for our first regroup. We rode together until the climb toward Lake Jennings where the group split a bit. We picked up Neil R in Lakeside and he quickly hit the front of the group.

The ride along Old Hwy 80 was fast with most of the group hanging together or within view of the front. We stopped briefly after crossing under I-8 again before heading over to Harbison Canyon. We had another cameo appearance before getting to Harbison, spotting Jeff L riding on his way back towards town. He must have done a very early ride and was heading home already. Ernst and Voris planned to return home from the top of Harbison due to family obligations. Sheehan and Norm were just a bit back of us and Dave S returned back towards Poway with Ernst and Voris while Norm continued down Harbison. Bill Wood and John were also behind the group so we thought they would take Arnold Road and meet us back at the top of Dehesa.

The group down Harbison had most of the guys from the lead group except for Neil who drifted back behind me on the start of the fast descent and Bob P, who just does not have enough body mass to keep up the fast downhill pace. At the bottom the small group of 7 remaining riders started the climb up Dehesa. Tony was out in front for the early part of the climb getting in a few photos for his Strava picture. Neil quickly closed the time he lost on the descent and the group continued climbing. Guido, Geoff, Len and I backed off a bit and climbed together while the other 4 guys, (Neil, Larry, Rick W & Tony) sped ahead. We regrouped at the turn to Tavern Road. John was there but no sign of Bill W. We assumed Bob P and Norm were climbing behind us and we would all regroup at the CVS store in Alpine.

The break at the store was much appreciated but it actually started to get cold as we waited in the cool breeze with our sweaty kits. Bob P eventually rode up saying he got a flat near the bottom of Dehesa. Bob told us that Norm had ridden by him going up Dehesa and then returned going back the other direction. Not sure where Norm went but assume he got home safely. He is a strong rider and we look forward to him riding again soon. We now had 10 riders left to begin the journey back home. The fast descent down Arnold did not shake off the cold chills but we kept up a brisk pace along Old Hwy 80 to get the blood flowing again. Neil peeled off for home after Lake Jennings and Bob P slowed off the back before we came to the turn of El Monte.

Not one wheel turned to the right towards El Capitan Reservoir, all continued straight toward to dreaded Hwy 67 climb. I guess most of the guys were feeling the effects of the ride and no one wanted to add the 15 miles of El Monte to the day, didn’t have to twist my arm. We all quickly spread out on the climb up 67. Larry, Rick W, Guido and Tony were out front while the rest of us slowly climbed up. Near the top of the first long section, Len passed me with the encouraging words, "It gets easier", as he sped off. Geoff caught me and then we rode together to the top and turned onto SPP. The lead guys were long gone and the other guys far back in the distance so Geoff and I headed down SPP.

Geoff did all the work as we made our way back to Mercy Road and the mile long climb up Black Mountain. We were both tired and glad to be near the finish of another fun Descenders ride. My route was about 73 miles and 5,800 feet of climbing without the El Monte loop. Probably a good decision to skip that section. I saw other rides up to 80-98 miles from the group, depending on where they started. Here is another photo. I will post more to the Shutterfly account soon.

Ride on-

Hi All,

We had a fun ride today–Mussey and Pamo. There were 10 riders at the start–Tony, Rick W, Bob P, Eric R, Guido, Larry, Eric G, Rick B, Geoff and Rob. I am not sure I should be writing about the planned ride as I was hardly ever with the group and missed some of the route, but here are a few observations.

Guido, Bob P, Geoff and I met up at Case Voris, not expecting him to show. He did not. We rode over to the 7-11 and caught Rick B who was out riding his ElliptiGO for the ride. We met everyone at the 7-11 and cruised up SPP. Eric G fell back and I used up lots of limited leg energy to catch the group at the top of the climb.

On the Hwy 67 section to Mussey, I was dropped and fell way back. The guys were nice enough to wait for me and then we all descended Mussey Grade. Rick B was out early and we chased him to the end with Guido getting the win, despite lots of work done by Rick B and Larry. I hid in the back and it still hurt. I left early trying to get towards the top again. Eric G came and turned around as well. Even with the head start, I finished last as the group started to split from there.

Bob P turned left to head home. Eric R took the left turn onto HVR while the we turned onto Dye. Rick B took Hwy 67 straight into Ramona where we all regrouped for water. Rick W did the major pull along Dye Road and them we hammered into town along San Vicente. I hid in the back and it still hurt. Lots of water was consumed and I decided that Pamo was not in the cards for my legs. I stayed in the back until the turn to Pamo and I went left towards the Ramona Grade. I pootled my way back to the mall, over the Lake Hodges pedestrian bridge and a slow route through 4S to get home with very tired legs. I assume the rest of the ride to Pamo went well. Lots of Strava awards earned by the guys today. Here is a photo of Rick B on his ElliptiGO.

The Sunday ride is supposed to be meeting at the 7-11 but Guido has volunteered to lead a coastal ride. Meeting spot change to Black Mountain and 56 bike path at 8am. Guido will ride to the coast.

Ride safe-
Rob

Yesterday we had 13 Descenders showing up to the first post-Monster Climbs ride.Usually a few weeks after the big climbing weekend are not as well attended, but we had plenty of regulars. Larry rode from home but I didn’t keep his company this time – due to family obligations I had to leave early. I parked at the Mall and rode back to Rancho Bernardo to pick up John, Eric G., Paul, Geoff and Larry – we rode back to the mall together.
Rob, who was still sporting a bandage from injured (and a bit swollen) wrist from MC Day 3 fall (his jersey is now named “Old Julian-Happy Canyon” jersey) have quizzed us on various trivia of World War I, in particular on assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand, which happened exactly 100 years ago.
We rode to the Lake Wohflord – Paul picked up the pace and Larry and I had to follow, as well as Bernie, Frankie, Paul P. and Rick. Soon Rick went to the front and Larry jumped around, I grabbed his wheel and we rode together to the top, much harder than I would have liked! We regrouped briefly at the top and took off, not realizing Hodges and Eric G. were just 30 seconds or so behind! Rick and Paul took off and the rest of us had to chase. By the time we caught them, I burned a few matches and decided to take it easy. On Woods Valley I waited a bit for Rob who fell a bit behind to bring him back to the group, but otherwise was content sitting in the pack and not going for the sprint, I was too tired.
Larry took off, way too early, probably almost a mile to go, but I still thought he was going to hold it all the way – but Paul chased him down basically on his own, dragging Rick and me back to Larry, and then Rick took off. I was just riding in his slipstream the whole time, following his wheel. In the end Rick tired himself out and I kept riding the same tempo and “accidentally” took the sprint without sprinting, by default, as the only rider who never went to the front. Note to self – laziness pays off sometimes.
Paul and Rob turned around. Steve got a flat and asked not to wait for him. Hodges and Eric caught us very quickly (they were just a minute or so behind us the entire time) and Rick stopped to get some water at the fire station – we never saw him again.
John, Eric G. and Hodges formed their own mini-group, while the rest of us – Larry, Bernie, Tony, Frankie, and myself, and on occasion Geoff, were riding together. Couser is now newly repaved and was a lot of fun riding on. We saw Matt and a bunch of Ranchos descending on Hwy 395
Some people took shorter route on Old Hwy 395, while the 5 of us went around through Lilac – this worked out great as nobody had to stop and regroup till RV park. We timed it well with a staggered start from RV, so that we all got a rolling regroup just past the top of Champaign Room. Perfect timing. We finished together as a large group, arriving just as Steve came from his multi-puncture unfortunate adventure. 60-70 miles for most of us, but 113 miles for Larry with extra credit.

Beautiful day to be out riding, you should have come!
Oleg.

More photos on storyline:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/109410926478548321411/stories

— Oleg

After years of borrowing a colleagues bike when visiting my company’s office in Bologna, I decided to bring my own bike to leave here so I can ride any time I’m here. I arrived this week – with my new bike – with great anticipation of riding this weekend. After having suffered through the 3-day Monster Climb 8, admittedly with a very poor showing on my part, I figured I was good for about 90-100 km (55 – 60 mi). Late Friday night I received a message from an Italian riding friend, Nazareno Storani (see photo below), whom you may recall from previous ride reports I had met a few years ago through Strava. Nazareno has, over the past couple of years, been very kind to invite me to join him on weekend rides and show me the many beautiful valleys and best climbs in the area. His message indicated he was planning to ride 120-130 km, so I thought I could try to hang in there, and gladly accepted his invitation.

We met at our usual spot, the WWII cemetery in San Lazzaro and discussed possible riding routes. Nazareno suggested we head up a valley I have ridden with his club before, but then continue on to a different climb I had not experienced yet. Off we went, a beautiful morning in the region of Emilia-Romagna with a pleasantly warm temperature and clear skies. There were not many other riders out in this valley and few cars so we had the road and scenery largely to ourselves. Deer in the fields, fresh cut hay and incredible little towns one after another (See picture in front of a Castle del Rio above.) The ride up through the valley was a modest grade and we had one or two little climb sections of a few kilometers each at 4-6% grades. Then we made a sharp left and hit the main climb he had wanted us to ride – up the Strada Provinciale of Mount Faggiola. This is a Cat 2 climb of almost exactly 10km at an average 6% grade. It’s marked every 100m so even if you follow Larry’s advice and “don’t look up” the signs remind you how much further you have to go. This is a fabulous climb that the Descenders would eat up. The first 3km are the hardest, probably averaging about 8% and the last 3km are a steady 4% or so.   No cars, perfect road surface, shaded for long sections – need I say more?

Somewhere out there we crossed from the region Emilia-Romagna to Toscana (Tuscany). The descent from Mount Faggiola was great as we passed from town to town. Almost every town and even many of the remote roads have natural spring water available. Thankfully Nazareno seems to know where every one of them are so we were able to replenish with fresh water regularly. There was long gradual descent down a nice valley where we had a slight tail wind and we pushed the pace taking turns on the front. By around 100+ km we were both getting hungry so we stopped in Riolo Terme where there was a nice castle (see pics) and a sweet little town where we were able to get a warm salami picante sandwiches and a coke, followed (of course) by an espresso. Feeling more refreshed we headed back out, still with more than 50km to go. I felt good for a while but by 20km or so later the sandwich had worn off and I was feeling low on fuel again. I was lamenting having pushed the pace down the valley and I hung on Nazareno’s wheel for quite a while going through waves of feeling okay to feeling like I needed to coast. I managed to hang on to get Nazareno back to his home town of Osteria Grande where I decided to stop and rest a bit. Nazareno brought me to the local park where I was able to find, fresh water, shade, and a gelato! Nazareno headed home while I recouped some energy. I got back on the bike for the final 9 miles home. About 4 miles later my Garmin 405 watch ran out of battery so my ride on Strava ends at 98 miles in San Lazzaro (near to where I met Nazareno in the morning.) I peddled the rest of the way home trying to maintain a respectable pace and got back safely. In the end I was out for 8 hours, 104.5 miles and 7400 ft of climbing. Just plan awesome.

We had 10 Descenders on our ride to Old Julian today. Plus 2 Cameos.
Old Julian has now become a traditional pre-Monster Climbs ride. Larry and I rode from the coast, we were early (fast) to Springmeadow – nobody was there. We picked up John Moran, Len and Rob, and headed off to meeting spot. There we were joined by Eric Gruff (looking splendid in his descenders uniform, even a hat!), Big Rick, Jeff L. and Tony. Sheehan was already out riding ahead of us.
We rode to HVR, spotting Bob Raibert riding on Pomerado, surely hunting for whatever KOMs left. On the climb I really wanted to take it easy, but Rick and Larry pushed the pace, and I joined them. I have no self-contol. We momentarily gapped Rick a bit, and caught Sheehan right at the top of the first 1-mile climb. Rick caught me half way up the second climb and the three of us (Larry, Rick and I) rode together for a while – the pace was way too high for me so I came to my senses and dropped back, while Larry and Rick rode together pushing the pace up the 3rd segment of HVR.
We regroupped at Archie Moore, but on the way to Ramona Rick and Larry set a high pace that shedded much of the group, one by one. Sheehan and I survived for most of it but we didn’t do any pulls. We may be crazy, but we are not stupid!

Jeff L. went back home through 67 – we rode nicely together but then Sheehan went to the front and set a fast pace on Dye Road. Rick did a super-pull, and Larry and I were the beneficiaries, just riding steady. I believe we did set top 10 times on Dye Sprint on strava (I am now 4th), without even sprinting for it!
Len was the next rider chasing the three of us down – only 4 of us made through the light together. Len was also super-strong on all the climbs – I asked him about any "secret hot sauce" he puts in his cheerios (if that even makes sense – hot sauce in cheerios?!) and apparently he just came back from an epic ride across America – he rode from San Diego to Rochester, NY in just 26 days – almost 3,000 mies, with some detours in Arizona. Amazing stuff. And so humble too – next time I ride 3,000 miles across US, I will be telling anyone who would listen – mailman, my neighbors, anyone!
I hope he provides a writeup about his epic adventures.
So apparently riding 100+ miles a day for 4 weeks is the secret to success. Hodges, your 400-mile week may pale in comparison to Len’s 700-800 mile weeks, too bad he is too old-school to join strava.

Tony stopped due to unidentified mechanical at the Dye light but we kept on going – the benefit of out-and-back course. Larry was the first to the top of Old Julian, and I was just barely able to catch Rick at the top after letting him go at the bottom.
We navigated the return without much incidents – last year on this ride Rob had a crash from overlapping wheels with Larry. Rob was wearing the same jersey – "Old Julian" jersey as he calls it – apparently he names his jerseys after the location of the crash in which the jersey got torn. Some of them have hyphenated names.
Some food and drinks at the gas station at Ramona, plus fixing Eric’s flat. Also, I learned my brakepads were gone. Public Service Announcement: Check your brake pads. And your chain too.

Tony went back via HVR. On the way back on 67 we tried to keep the group together but lost John and then eventually (towards the end, on a climb) Eric. Eric wasn’t far behind, chasing hard – I hoped he could get back to us when we stopped at the light at Poway Rd., as we always do, but we timed the light well this time. Rick went down Poway Rd., Len waited for John, while Larry, Rob and I went down SPP. We saw a stranger cyclist wearing Descender jersey going in the opposite direction. It was Arlyn! On SPP, we were caught by Eric. It was quite impressive, to get back to us after getting gapped like that, as the three of us were riding steady tempo the entire time, rotating through. Eric lost 50 lbs, from 265 to 215 lbs in less than a year, and he is riding strong already. When he gets down to 190 lbs you all better watch out! (you have been warned).

We finally separated on Pomerado, as Larry and I rode through beautiful Kearny Mesa and then scenic East Clairemont, back home. 95 miles or so total – I need it for next week’s MC, too much slacking off.
Photos are below, but if that doesn’t fill your secret obsession with looking at grown men in spandex, here’s more:
http://goo.gl/bMKeM1

You should have come!
See some of you at Monster Climbs next Friday!
Oleg.

All, We had 14 Descenders coming out for the Elfin Forest+Double Peak ride past Saturday. Larry and I rode from the coast – we got to casa de Voris around 7:30 but Geoff who was already waiting there for a bit informed us there was no sign of life anywhere around Springmeadow Lane, so the three of us kept on riding to the meeting spot, picking up John Moran along the way.
Geoff really pushed the pace putting some hurt on me and when we got to the meeting spot, there were only 2 or 3 descenders waiting there. But soon, around 8:05, there were several late arrivals, including Voris himself, Rick, etc. When Larry and I are 5 min late we usually have to chase the group full-gas, at 28mph or 400 Watts, whichever comes first, to and up Highland Valley! Not fair!
Speaking of Watts, Rick was trying out a new Quarq power meter. Quarq and equivoque are the only two words I know with two q’s in it, and I suspect quarq is not scrabble-legal.
Anyways, Quarq shows Rick B., out of shape and struggling with knee problems, easily did close to 500W for 5min on his stroll up Double Peak, just for fun. For most people 400W for 5min would be a fantastic result. (my personal best is merely 398 Watts, for the record).

We tried a new shortcut route to Elfin Forest. You have to hit the second right after passing over I-15, up Bernardo Lane – it’s a beautiful little climb makes you think you are in Ranch Santa Fe instead of Escondido, and then keep going on Bernardo Ave. until it connects to W 11th St. by I-15 – this when you realize you are back to Escondido. A few roller-coaster up-and-downs and you are at Harmony Grove, all on small streets with virtually no traffic. Something to keep in mind.

Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove was barely recognizable. Partly because of all new construction, but also mostly due to the recent fire damage. It was like scorched lunar landscape or enchanted forest with all black trees and black grass (or what used to be grass). Weird stuff, gave me goosebumps just riding through it.

After climbing Elfin and Double Peak we decided to explore the path behind Double Peak that leads to San Marcos. Again, check out strava if you want details of the route. It included about 20% climb, on which Rick B. set a new KOM, and a descent that featured 26% downhill section, ending with a (frustratingly!) closed gate. This is one of the steepest roads in San Diego county, supposedly. Good practice for descending steep Painted Cave in just two weeks. Gingerly and carefully, ride your brakes, no risks and nobody gets hurt.

On the way back we rode through Rancho Santa Fe engaging in usual Descender shenanigans. Despite strong attacks from a few riders (you know who you are, and yes, I am guilty too), the group stayed together with Guido cleverly taking the sprint to the right turn. From there Larry and I rode to Solana beach and back home while the rest of the group headed to Santa Luz for more climbing.

Great day in the saddle, you should have come!

Desperate for even more photos? Really? Go here:
http://goo.gl/qP4M4a

Rob, thanks – Larry and I met in Clairemont and rode over to the start. Like the old good days of BWR prep rides. It was strangely foggy as we moved inland (but clear on the coast) – usually its the other way around.

When we got to 7-11, we saw a group of 10 or so – Cresap and John took off as we got there, and there were some rumors that Hodges and Eric Gruff started early (we never saw them). It was good to see Sheehan and Boyle – founding members of the club who made a rare joint appearance today. Sheehan may be switching jobs soon, so we will see him more often (or perhaps even less often?).

We climbed SPP together, keeping it civil – we picked up Matt Babb who rode from home (while setting an impressive time on 67 climb) and caught Cresap at the top of SPP.
Descent down 67 was fun but we all stayed together as a group. Voris pushed the pace a bit up Lake Jennings and we had to chase him down. Rick lead us on the descent down Habrison Canyon – we split off a bit from Rob, Sheehan, Boyle and John. Strava flyby feature can tell you where everyone was at various times, it’s pretty good for those purposes.

We refilled water at the fire station, while some kept on going. Matt and Larry distanced from us on the climb a bit, putting out some impressive wattage. I wisely stayed back, riding with Ernst and Tony – Voris tried to hang on with Matt and Larry but soon came back to me.
Larry and Matt weren’t that far behind but near the top Larry had to stop to fix a flat.
At the Tavern intersection Voris and I caught Guido, Bernie and Matt who waited for us. The five us descended together and climbed together for a while – I tried to push the pace a bit – it was hot (we were riding with gentle tailwind that leaves you "cooking") and probably not too wise in retrospect but I felt good – for just a moment. Soon I could see Matt chasing me, solo. He finally caught up with me at the top of the infamous Japatul "Wall". I declared the top of the wall the end of the "official" climb for me and used the remaining road as cool down, while Matt kept riding pretty hard to the Lyons. We met some of the Matt’s MoFo friends at the bee farm – soon Voris and Bernie came, as well as Tony, Guido, Rick and Ernst. We rolled down the hill, picking up John and Larry – Rick lead most of the downhill, now into the headwind.

On the climb to Tavern Larry easily rode away from everyone and some of us chased him, we had several small 2-3 person groups chasing. We regrouped at 7-11 – at this point there were 10 of us. Several strong alternating pulls brought us back to Lakeside – Matt went home by splitting off at Hwy 8, Larry and I went home (easy) via Santee and 52 bike path, while the rest of the gang continued to Poway.
it was about 97 miles and 7,700 ft for Larry and I – your mileage may vary (literally).

Great day, even though a bit hot (getting ready for Monster Climbs!)

You should have come!

Storyline:
https://plus.google.com/109410926478548321411/stories/03c70d10-2b29-314b-8519-b47376512ffd14654cbe47e/1?authkey=CLKE2Zi66KjXcQ

Photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/109410926478548321411/20140527?authkey=Gv1sRgCKiQ-r212cO4kgE

Oleg.

On Sat, May 31, 2014 at 5:53 PM, Robert Verfurth <robertverfurth> wrote:

Hi All,

I think we had a great group ride this morning, actually I have no idea how the group ride went. I spent most of the day in a daze, in pain and alone. It was a perfect training day for the upcoming Monster Climb trip where I again expect to be in a daze, in pain and alone for most of the ride.

Guido met me in PQ and marshaled me over to Casa Voris where we picked up Dave and met up with John M. We are rolled down to the start at the 7-11. Hodges was supposed to be out ahead of us with Eric G, but I think they bailed on the ride.

We had a 14 guys at the start. Besides the 4 of us mentioned above, the group included Tony, Rick W, Bernie, Larry, Sheehan, Boyle, Oleg, Ernst, Steve K and Cresap. Some guys missed out on the group photo. Jeff was still recovering from his broken toe and rode with us only to Lakeside.

The pace was nice and controlled up SPP and descent down 67. We stayed together until the Lake Jennings climb when Boyle and Sheehan fell back a bit. I tired and disappeared off the back along Old Hwy 80. At the top of Harbison Canyon I waited for about 10 minutes for Boyle and Sheehan but they never came. I was in "No Man’s Land" for the rest of the ride.

I went down Harbison and up Dehesa. I was not planning to make the turn to Lyons as my legs we not up for it. I rode on Tavern and stopped at the CVS thinking Sheehan might have been there or maybe John M. No one was there so I kept up my slow pace back toward the 67 Climb. It was painful as always. I thought I might get caught but I guess the other guys were still way back.

At SPP there were about a dozen riders that had come from the other direction on 67 that made the turn ahead of me. I decided to catch them and ultimately decided to blow by them as I rode toward Pomerado Road. I rode up Black Mountain and got home with about 73 miles and 5,800 feet of climbing. I need to rest and get back out there to get ready for the MC trip in less than three weeks.

Oleg will have to share his photos and details of the group ride, he was with them for most of the day.

Rob

Hi All,

I think we had a great group ride this morning, actually I have no idea how the group ride went. I spent most of the day in a daze, in pain and alone. It was a perfect training day for the upcoming Monster Climb trip where I again expect to be in a daze, in pain and alone for most of the ride.

Guido met me in PQ and marshaled me over to Casa Voris where we picked up Dave and met up with John M. We are rolled down to the start at the 7-11. Hodges was supposed to be out ahead of us with Eric G, but I think they bailed on the ride.

We had a 14 guys at the start. Besides the 4 of us mentioned above, the group included Tony, Rick W, Bernie, Larry, Sheehan, Boyle, Oleg, Ernst, Steve K and Cresap. Some guys missed out on the group photo. Jeff was still recovering from his broken toe and rode with us only to Lakeside.

The pace was nice and controlled up SPP and descent down 67. We stayed together until the Lake Jennings climb when Boyle and Sheehan fell back a bit. I tired and disappeared off the back along Old Hwy 80. At the top of Harbison Canyon I waited for about 10 minutes for Boyle and Sheehan but they never came. I was in "No Man’s Land" for the rest of the ride.

I went down Harbison and up Dehesa. I was not planning to make the turn to Lyons as my legs we not up for it. I rode on Tavern and stopped at the CVS thinking Sheehan might have been there or maybe John M. No one was there so I kept up my slow pace back toward the 67 Climb. It was painful as always. I thought I might get caught but I guess the other guys were still way back.

At SPP there were about a dozen riders that had come from the other direction on 67 that made the turn ahead of me. I decided to catch them and ultimately decided to blow by them as I rode toward Pomerado Road. I rode up Black Mountain and got home with about 73 miles and 5,800 feet of climbing. I need to rest and get back out there to get ready for the MC trip in less than three weeks.

Oleg will have to share his photos and details of the group ride, he was with them for most of the day.

Rob

Hi All,

You missed another epic adventure of riding. You can read and live vicariously through our fun.

See you next year,
Rob

Tour of California Ride Report-16 May 2014.pdf

Today we rode in memory of Nick Venuto. Nick was tragically killed by a vehicle on the 56 bike path in May of 2011 while commuting home from work. He was an avid cyclist who rode with the Descenders, completed the California Triple Crown, and rode the Ride Across California with his son. His friends and family dearly miss him.

In honor of Nick, a large group of Descenders met at his memorial on the 56 bik path: Eric G, Tony, Jim Broder, Paul and Adam Pruschki, Dave Sheehan, the Barralls (Geoff, Naomi, Erika, Ethan and Noriko {photographer}), Dave Voris, Dave Ernst, Rob, Larry, Rick W, Dave Guidotti. Joining us a bit after the group picture were Glen Gallo, Bob Proulx and Bryan Jones. A great turnout.

We rode at a gentle pace up Camino del Sur to San Dieguito and down to El Apajo. At that point, I turned off with Glen Gallo and my kids to head down to El Camino Real and back home on the 56 bike path. We took it easy. It was a beautiful day for a ride.

As Oleg would say, you should have come,

Geoff Barrall

RSF, Del Dios, HVR & Poway Grade Ride Report

24 May 2014
by Rob Verfurth

The route today included the roads and areas noted above plus Mussey Grade. I had to bail at Archie Moore so missed some of the ride. Anyone who wants to fill in the gaps, please offer you insights.

We had a large group at the start of the ride and picked up a couple more early in the ride. There were 17 Descenders and one visitor, Jim, who rode very well. The Descender group included Matt B, Rick W, Voris, Guido, Rick B, Bob P, Tony, Ernst, Bernie, Rob, Hodges, Claus, Paul P, Geoff, Jeff L, Larry and Eric R.

The pace was going to be brutal all day looking at the riders from the start. Unfortunately my pace expectations were exceeded, the pace was very fast as times and good training ride for the upcoming MC trip. We rode quickly up CDS and then flew down Three Witches towards Stud Loop. Rick B took off driving the group toward the start of Stud Loop. The pace was fast but I hid behind Voris, who hid behind Rick B, who hid on the wheel of Rick W. We had a large group flying into the turns and a number of Strava awards were handed out with our speed averaging over 20 mph. Hodges skipped Stud Loop to get a lead on us down Del Dios. He has been off form the last few weeks after traniing too hard for BWR. He is really resting up for the MC trip and will be ready to pounce.

The descent down Del Dios was fast but in control and the climb back up was thankfully not too fast, I was able to hide at the back and hold onto wheels to get me to Lake Drive. The Lake Drive pace did not slow down with Larry, Rick B and Matt on point; pushing all the way back to Via Rancho Parkway. We took a short break to regroup before riding to the gas station past I-15 for a longer water break. Mike took off early to gain some time up HVR. After crossing the pedestrian bridge over dry Lake Hodges we headed for HVR. Ernst bailed for home at this point. Eric R pushed hard to Bandy but had to turn around to get home. Jeff L climb part of HVR but had to return early as well. All the guys flew up HVR except Hodges (see note above). I went by Mike and told him I was bailing at Archie Moore to get to a family event. Good excuse as my legs were dead.

From the Strava comments it appears that the pace down and back up Mussey was super fast, glad I was heading back down Poway Grade by that time. I only got in 53 miles but made it back for my family event. Claus and Larry each covered more than a century. Bob P rode super strong and earned 63 awards on Strava, Paul P nailed 86 awards with more than 6,000 feet of climbing. Looks like the whole gang is about ready for the Monster Climb trip. Fun day riding.

A belated report for Soledad Ride from May 10th.
We had a total of about 14 riders I believe.
I parked my "support car" filled with coffee, pastries and fruit at the top of Soledad and rode North, to met with the group on 56 bike path. I was hoping to take it easy since I was in lull training-wise, after BWR. No such luck.
We took it relatively easy on Torrey Pines, riding together as a group (new banner photo for descender website!). We decided to add Blacks Beach – new to many people, including Hodges – cannot believe he never rode it before. Even Voris enjoyed the descend (ride up to the top probably not so much).
Once we got to Soledad, I decided to do the "little Giro" climb up Al Bahr /Crespo up to Mecca (new road to most Descenders), which included two cork-screw style climbs/descents. It was appropriate to do it especially that day since Giro was starting the following day in – where else – rainy Ireland.

So two un-authorized climbs (not on "freaking brochure"!) before the first climb up of Soledad – not bad.

We had a new rider who set a pretty fast pace up Hillside, forcing me and Larry to go hard and chase – especially since he didn’t know the way up to the top via beaten up "Tour of Flanders" path.
On the second climb up Country Club I found myself chasing Larry, Voris and Claus – we lost a few riders as they didn’t stop at the overlook spot, or fell behind (Hodges, John). A very pretty and super-fit young lady volunteered to take our group photo at the overlook spot, and then volunteered to be in the photo herself. See photo below. Hodges, you missed out, big time. Descenders have groupies!

The newly formed/whittled-down group of 8 riders stayed together for the third climb – we decided to bypass the stop at the car and do the 4th climb Pacifica, and then stop at the car. The Ghost of Hodges, or perhaps it was just a mirage, appeared as we got to the top, but we all got stuck at the next two lights and never saw him.

On Pacifica, I was with Voris (who I don’t think ever done Pacifica before) and Paul, finally chasing down Larry at the top. The four of us worked together to the cross in the wind, Guido riding strong solo behind us. We caught up with some of the MIA riders on the fifth climb up Via Valverde. Most of us took it easy I think. As I was driving down via Capri I saw a bunch of Descenders stopping – someone got a flat. On the way back Guido and Voris set a crazy fast tempo up 56 bike path, getting themselves into a top 10 of densely populated and competitive leaderboard. According to Voris, even though Guido did most of the pulls, Voris got timed 1 second faster. Oh the irony of strava!

One miracle of the ride is that this is the first Soledad ride that Voris completed from beginning to end, and incidentally, it was also the first one he really enjoyed. La Jolla traffic, urban surroundings, super-slow, lung-burning climbing and often dodgy descents – it was all worth it in the end. So if Voris can change his mind and learn to overcome his prejudices and enjoy Soledad ride, so can you!

You should have come!
Oleg.

Obligatory Photos:
https://plus.google.com/photos/109410926478548321411/albums/6011885432959975313?authkey=CMf6g_qOxZqBVA

Google also has a new feature "Stories" which provides some more dynamic story-line type formatting of photos (semi-automatically created), check it out:

https://plus.google.com/109410926478548321411/stories/bf916f9d-14d2-3225-b66c-7e2267226589/1?authkey=CNnsrf2gz_GlBA

Hi All,

The group ride on Saturday followed the epic day riding up near Wrightwood for the Tour of California. There were 10 riders at the start, with four of us that still had some legs left from the mountain climbs the previous day–Hodges, Tony, Bob P and Rob. The rest of the riders included Rick W, Larry, Geoff, Guido, John M and Steve K. We were definitely feeling the effects of the mountain ride and hoped for a casual coastal cruise. The boys with fresh legs would have none of it. They hammered down the 56 bike path toward PCH. Once we got past the sunken neighborhood, Rick W pushed the pace along the bike path, I hid on his wheel. We all cruised to the coast and started north, the pace did not slow.

A few guys we meet on the road tried to hang onto our wheels. Rick W, Larry, Geoff and Guido pushed the pace a most fell off the back. We met one good rider, Leroy, who stayed with us all the way to Oceanside. Early into the ride Bob P and Steve K had to bail at Lomas Sante Fe Road so we were down to 8 guys plus Leroy. The pace rarely slowed and we flew up past Swami’s and back along PCH into Carlsbad; only the lights prevented the fast boys up front from getting away.

At the start of Oceanside Leroy had to turn around but the rest of us kept the hammer down heading toward the harbor. The traffic was heavier than usual and lots of cars prevented the group from attacking the final half mile. I snuck away for a few seconds only to get caught by Rick about hundred yards from the turnaround. It was definitely a PR time for the group to get to the harbor, only about 1:35 minutes. The Strava awards noted all the PR times, we really flew up the coast. A slight breeze from the southwest helped too!

After our usual water break by the harbor we pedaled back south. The traffic was even worse with lots of police officers directing cars at the bridge. There was a sand soccer tournament on the beach. I attempted to pull by own version of Taylor Phinney from stage 4 in the Tour of California. The car traffic tied up the guys so I broke away at the bridge and pushed into Oceanside. I was lucky enough to find a triathlete turn in front of me heading south; I hid on his wheel and held on into Carlsbad. I started to fall off the pace a number of times but on every incline I was able to creep back onto his wheel. He pulled me all the way to La Costa. I took the turn and could not see the guys anywhere. I assumed I would get caught eventually but I kept pushing to see how far my legs would take me.

I climbed up El Camino Del Norte, along Lago Lindo and into RSF. I was almost out water but decided to press on and look for water at the store right before Three Witches. I somehow made in all the way to the store and was filling up my water bottles when I saw Guido, Rick W and Larry rode past toward the light. I did not make it to Santa Barbara like Phinney did but I almost made it to Santa Luz! I was able to get their attention and they waited for me, my breakaway was not a success but it was fun to stay away for 25 miles. We climbed together for the first part of Three Witches before the three of them dusted me. Rick W turned north at the top while Larry and Guido headed back south. They soft pedaled to let me catch up. We rode together to the bike path with Larry heading to the coast and Guido back home. I got home with about the same mileage as the ToC ride (64 miles) but only about 2,700 feet of elevation (6,000 less than the day before, in only 3:30, 1.5 hours less riding time than the mountains.

The legs were done for the weekend. Fun ride.

Rob